An airline passenger in Germany joked he was carrying 3 grenades because airport security lines were taking too long, police say

• An airline passenger frustrated by a long security line joked he was carrying grenades, German police said.
• A statement from police said the man was now being investigated for faking a crime.

The German Federal Police are investigating a man who joked that he was carrying grenades at an airport because the security check was taking too long.

The 37-year-old, who police didn't name, was close to missing his flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Graz, Austria, a statement from Germany's Bundespolizei said.

And as he was facing a delay at security, he "repeatedly emphasized" to staff that he had three grenades, according to the police's statement.

The statement said the man's "bad joke" meant the federal police were called in by Frankfurt Airport's security staff.

They ordered a new check of the man, his luggage, and the people he was traveling with, the statement said. He then told officers he wasn't actually carrying any weapons and he was just frustrated with the long wait.

"Ultimately, additional checks revealed that the 37-year-old man was not carrying any hand grenades," the police said.

He missed his flight to Austria, and now faces a police investigation for faking a crime.

"You should think carefully about what 'jokes' you make. Especially in a security-sensitive location like an airport," the police statement said.

It added: "In no case will the waiting time be any shorter!"

In a separate incident that involved a bomb hoax, a British man was last month cleared of a public-disorder charge having privately joked to friends about blowing up a plane.

Aditya Verma was 18 when he sent a Snapchat joking about blowing up his flight. Security services intercepted the message and fighter jets were scrambled to escort the plane.

Verma faced paying $120,000, most of which was for the costs of deploying two F-18 jets. However, a Spanish judge cleared him of the charges, saying the joke was made "in a strictly private environment."